The Devil in Silver
by Victor Lavalle
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New Hyde Hospital's psychiatric ward has a new resident. It also has a very, very old one.
"A dizzying high-wire act."--The Washington Post
"Fantastical, hellish, and hilarious."--Los Angeles Times
"By turns horrifying, suspenseful, and comic."--The Boston Globe
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly
Pepper is the surprised inmate of a mental institution in Queens, New York. In the darkness of his room, on his first night, a terrifying creature with the body of an old man and the head of a bison nearly kills him before being hustled away by the hospital staff. It's no delusion: The other patients confirm that a devil roams the hallways when the sun goes down. Pepper rallies three other inmates in a plot to kill the monster that's stalking them. But can the Devil die?
The Devil in Silver is a thrillingly suspenseful literary work about friendship, love, and the courage to slay our own demons.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9780812982251
- Binding
- Paperback
- Authors
- Victor Lavalle
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Published Date
- September 10, 2013
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 432
- Physical Info
- 8 in L x 5.1 in W (0.85 lb)
This is everyone's idea of a horror that's possible. Perhaps that's why I found the story so terrifying. La Valle's writing style plays a movie in your head. You won't even remember turning pages.
this book goes HARD! I’m devouring it!
Just a long one. I read that this story was being turned into a season 3 anthology of The Terror in 2025 so I jumped ahead to read it ..at one point I thought the climax had been hit and it would be wrapping up, only to realize I was only halfway through, so it seemed at that point to repeat itself with just a few changes..I’ll admit I was glad when I had finished because I was getting a bit bored with it.
In my personal opinion, if you are a fan of fast paced novels packed with action, this book is not for you. The plot, albeit interesting, moves quite slowly. However, this does not necessarily take away from the enjoyability of the novel itself.The storyline follows Pepper, a newly admitted psychiatric patient who doesn't necessarily fit the trope of the psych ward. There, he is affronted with a seemingly paranormal and terrifying figure that torments the halls of the New Hyde psychiatric ward.The novel does well at maintaining tensity, whilst still incorporating humor. I found many of the characters particularly loveable, including Pepper. However, at times, his character can come off a bit immature. There are themes of sexism, particularly the objectification of women, which although not to a severe degree, could potentially throw off some readers---it is one of the themes that doesn't necessarily contribute to the plot at all given times, but does definitely build into Pepper's character. If this isn't something you like to handle within your novels, give this one a go!TLDR: Overall, 4.5/5 stars. Good read.
This novel set in a New York mental health institution (housed in a former eye clinic) starts on a tawdry and depressing footing.Pepper, the protagonist who may or may not be insane--is a middle-aged furniture-mover handy with his fists and imposing in his bulk who evolves into a (carefully curated) hero in an institution sorely in need of one.After he is admitted for evaluation after a minor incident, the reader follows his adjustments in dealing with his oddball inmates--all of whom are involuntary patients; the diversely weird staff; and the head-wrecking medications foisted on him. But Pepper and many of the inmates similarly burdened with plaintive histories find friendship, love, and finally common cause in their fear of a monster behind the silver door.This is not a classic horror novel but it often reads like one.
